Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore: The Sports Watch

The Royal Oak Offshore is a sporty and more masculine version of the Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet. It has the distinctive porthole design, and models with a chronograph or tourbillon are proof of incredible watchmaking skills.

Highlights

Distinctive porthole design with an octagonal bezel and hexagonal screws

Also available with a chronograph function, perpetual calendar, and minute repeater

Royal Oak Offshore Diver waterproof to 300 m (30 bar)

Stainless steel, titanium, ceramic, 18-karat gold, or platinum cases

Countless diamond-set versions

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore: The Successor to an Icon

The roots of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak Offshore are obvious: With its porthole design and octagonal bezel with hexagonal screws, this timepiece is very reminiscent of the Royal Oak. The Royal Oak is the most successful and popular Audemars Piguet model. The Le Brassus-based manufacturer revolutionized the luxury watch market with their stainless steel wristwatch in the 1970s. The Offshore was first introduced to the market in 1993. It's a sportier, more masculine version of the Royal Oak. Diving watches waterproof to 300 m (30 bar) and countless chronographs emphasize the sportiness of the collection.

Which Royal Oak Offshore is Right for Me?

Currently, there are over 70 different Royal Oak Offshore variants. The Royal Oak Offshore Diver is a good choice for divers. The automatic watch has a 42-mm case and, as required on all diving watches, a unidirectional rotatable bezel so you can keep track of the dive time. However, the Offshore Diver's bezel is an internal bezel. You turn the bezel counterclockwise via a second crown at ten o'clock. There are also Diver variants with a chronograph function.

Horological highlights in the Royal Oak Offshore collection are the Grande Complication models. These watches have multiple complications, such as a perpetual calendar, chronograph, and minute repeater. The in-house automatic caliber 2885 has a 45-hour power reserve and is wound by the motion of your arm while on your wrist.

The women's models often feature diamonds on the bezel, case, and dial. The watches are 37 mm in diameter and powered by either quartz or automatic movements.

What Should I Consider When Buying an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore?

Are you on the search for an extravagant sports watch with a distinctive design? Then the Royal Oak Offshore is exactly the right watch for you. With its characteristic octagonal bezel and eight hexagonal screws, this watch is unmistakably something special. A pre-owned Offshore Triple Calendar - a model with a date, day, and month display - in very good condition can be purchased for around 8,000 euros. Since this model is no longer produced, only pre-owned versions are available. A pre-owned Offshore with a chronograph function costs around 10,000 euros. New watches with this beloved complication cost at least 18,000 euros. You should plan to spend 30,000 euros on pre-owned models with a perpetual calendar and chronograph function. If you want a new watch, then you should be prepared to spend over 600,000 euros. With a pink gold case, this watch can cost almost 700,000 euros new.

You can purchase pre-owned women's diamond-set gold watches for around 10,000 euros. New, the watches cost about 12,000 euros. These watches are powered by a very precise quartz movement. With an automatic chronograph caliber, a new Offshore Lady costs around 14,000 euros.

The diving watch Royal Oak Offshore Diver is available pre-owned for around 12,000 euros. New, these diving watches cost around 15,000 euros. If they have a chronograph function, the price rises to around 25,000 euros new.

The Royal Oak Offshore has also been available with a tourbillon for a few years. For a pre-owned model in very good condition, you should be prepared to spend around 180,000 euros. Prices for new models can easily go above and beyond 200,000 euros.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore with a Chronograph Function

Most watches in the Royal Oak Offshore collection are chronographs, regardless of whether they're men's or women's watches. Thus, if you want an eye-catching watch with a timer, then you'll certainly find something for you in this series. Most models have three subdials. Almost all of the men's watches have a diameter of 42 or 44 mm. The 30-minute counter is located at nine o'clock, the 12-hour counter at six o'clock, and the small seconds at 12 o'clock. The date display is at three o'clock. Since 2007, the caliber 3126/3840 has powered these watches. Between 1993 and 2007, Audemars Piguet used the caliber 2226/2840. Both movements are automatic, meaning they wind themselves while being worn. The caliber 3126 has a 22-karat gold rotor and a 50-hour power reserve. It has a balance frequency of 21,600 alternations per hour (A/h), equal to 3 Hz. In total, the movement is comprised of 365 pieces, 59 of which are rubies. The caliber 3226/3840 is based on the in-house caliber 3120 from Audemars Piguet with a chronograph module from Debois Dépraz, a company that produces movement modules.

Audemars Piguet uses the in-house caliber 3124/3841 in the Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph models. The automatic movement has a 50-hour power reserve and a balance frequency of 3 Hz. Unlike the 3126/3840, which has three subdials, this caliber only has two. The small seconds is located at three o'clock and the 30-minute counter is at nine o'clock. This movement doesn't have a date display or a 12-hour counter. This gives the watch a cleaner appearance. The Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph is available in many different, bright colors, such as green, yellow, and orange. With a timepiece like this on your wrist, you're sure to stand out.

What are the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph's Features?

In-house caliber with chronograph function

Up to 50-hour power reserve

Diving chronograph waterproof to 300 m (30 m)

Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph: High-Quality Watchmaking

The Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph is a true example of haute horlogerie. As its name states, it features a chronograph and a tourbillon. The tourbillon was invented by the watchmaking genius Abraham-Louis Breguet in the 19th century in order to minimize gravity-related deviations in time. Tourbillon watches are some of the most precise timepieces in the world.

The tourbillon is visible on the Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph thanks to the skeletonized dial. The in-house caliber 2933 powers the watch and has an incredible 237-hour power reserve, nearly equal to 10 days. You can set your Tourbillon Offshore aside, put on your Millenary instead, and the Offshore will still be working a week later. The caliber 2933 has the tourbillon at nine o'clock. A large bridge spans the cage and the balance wheel. The dial is skeletonized at nine, six, and 12 o'clock, allowing you to view the inner workings of the watch. The 30-minute counter is located at three o'clock. Since this timepiece is waterproof to 100 m (10 bar), you can even go swimming with your tourbillon watch.